Squire Keladry's Hearthrob
by Wildcat
Summary: When Kel thinks that Neal fancies her, she tries to confront him with disasterous results. After a very long wait, here is chapter 3!!!
1. Love?

Alright this is my first fanfiction so please review it. I know these aren't my characters, they are Tamora Pierce's and always will be but I love them so much I had to make my own story with them.   
  
Chapter 1   
  
It was the start of the summer and Kel was on one of her frequent visits to the place.   
  
Keladry, Squire Keladry rode her horse Peachblossom through the outskirts of the royal forest. She was thinking about all that had happened to her in the last few years. Some boys had excepted her others had not, well that couldn't be helped, and Joren, was well Joren and she didn't think she would ever understand him.   
  
Lord Wyldon seemed to have excepted her, but you could never be to certain with the training master. And her friends she now had many friends at court, Neal she thought, she understood her feels toward him better now. She knew the truth, and she knew she loved him. But if their knight masters were to take them apart, she didn't know what she would do.   
  
As she was riding she killed a rabbit as a thank you to Stefan, and when she took it back to the stables he was very grateful.   
  
Kel then wondered into the palace thinking vaguely of going to see Daine. She was just about to turn a corner when she heard arguing not to far away. She hurried towards the sound of the commotion, she came to a small walled courtyard between some palace buildings.   
  
As she peered around the wall she was surprised to see Joren and Neal fighting. She was about to butt in when she heard her own name.   
  
"I know you fancy her Queenscove, I can tell by the way you look at her,"   
"What about the way you look at her, maybe you think she'll like you for your looks, if so you'll be sorely disappointed."   
"Know that for a fact, Queenscove?" Joren sneered   
Kel was still wondering what was going on when Joren spat   
"Going to ask the Lump to go to bed with you, she wouldn't, she's bored with your little toys she wants a man."   
At this Neal pushed Joren into the dirt and strode off.   
Kel could hardly breathe, maybe Neal did fancy her. Oh imagine the man she had wanted privately for years also liked her.   
Maybe next time they met and were alone she would try and kiss him to see what he did. But no she would be to scared. She wasn't sure if Neal did fancy her.   
  
It took Kel three days to find Neal but to her it felt like three years. She found him finally in the small courtyard in which he had argued with Joren.   
  
"Hi Neal," said Kel nervously moving out of the shadows. "I thought you would be back in Queenscove by now.   
"I might go in a few days but that all depends on what happens here."   
"Meaning..."   
"I... oh I don't know." They sat in silence for a while, Kel was wondering just how to tell Neal she had loved him for years when Neal looked at her and said "Kel, erm this is hard for me, so don't interrupt when I've started, it will make it a lot harder. Kel I know I always fanaticise about ladies at court, but I've only really loved one person..." he trailed of miserably. Then started again, "I guess what I'm trying to say is erm that well," Neal seemed to be looking for the right words. Kel stared at him for a moment then grabed his face in passion she could not control and kissed him ferociously.   
  
  
You've got to review this if you want me to write more!   
  



	2. Neal!

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed my first chapter, and always to Tamora Pierce for her wonderful characters. Please review this I need to know what you  
think, even if the review is bad.   
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Kel!?!" Neal yelled when they pulled apart. He looked at her for a moment confused. She couldn't look at him she knew at once that she had done the wrong thing  
she staggered upright and ran from the courtyard.   
  
She ran all the way through the city despite the summer heat, and she didn't stop running until she reached her parent's house. She ran upstairs and threw herself on to  
her bed and cried. She cried away her passions, she cried away her seemingly wasted emotions, she cried until she could cry no more.  
  
Kel woke a lot later. She must have cried herself to sleep. She was still lying on her bed, fully clothed. Why was she there? Then she remembered, Neal, "I hate him"  
she cried, "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him."  
  
"Kel?" whispered her mother, from the doorway.  
  
Kel turned around to look at her mother then she ran, again. She ran out of the house and down in to a courtyard at the back of the house. She sat on a stone wall  
and cried again.  
  
"Kel? What's wrong," Kel didn't answer, she was ashamed to be found crying by anyone but her mother, "Kel?"  
  
"Go away," Kel sniffed, "I'm fine."  
  
"Keladry!!!" Came the strangled cry. Kel stiffened she knew that voice, she knew it well. "Keladry of Mindelan, you are the worst liar I know."  
  
"L..Lalasa?" asked Keladry.  
  
"That would certainly be my name," replied the maid dryly. "Now then Kel why don't you tell me all about it?"  
  
"Oh, Lalasa," sobbed Kel, "It's Neal, he..." Kel waved her arms about expressively, "and he" she waved her arms again, "and I," Kel kissed the air.   
  
"Woo, calm down Kel, come back to my shop and tell me what happened slowly." Kel let her former maid guide her to the shop, Lalasa took her in to the kitchen  
and gave her some calming tea. With much coaxing, and kindness Lalasa finally got the whole story out of Kel.  
  
Afterwards Kel felt terrible, she seamed to have lost all of her Yamani training. She was very upset and very ashamed. Lalasa sighed, "honestly Kel,"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, you were very upset when you started having things most girls long for."  
  
"Yes," replied Kel wondering where this was going.  
  
"Now you've kissed a lad, and he did not kiss you back."  
  
"So."  
  
"But you don't get at all upset from getting black eyes, and getting hurt, you are one of the most backwards girls I've ever met."  
  
"I'm not sure that's a compliment, Lalasa."  
  
"Neither am I," commented Lalasa smiling. "Now what have you got to do tomorrow?"  
  
"I've got to talk to my mother, explain EVERYTHING, although knowing my mother she will probably know anyway, and I've...got to talk to...Neal"  
  
"That's right. So come on lets get you to bed."   
  
The next day when she woke up she got dressed and began the hateful process of saying sorry and giving explanations. First she told her mother, who was very  
sympathetic. So they talked and Kel felt a lot better, her mother even told Kel of some of her own experiences with boys, which had gone wrong. Kel was very  
interested, she could never imagine her mother chasing boys.   
  
Then of course she had to find Neal, oh it was so unfair. He had been very edgy, so what did he want to tell her? It wasn't like Neal to be really edgy, and if he didn't  
like her then what was he going to say?   
  
She hoped they could put that behind them, and still be friends. But what if Neal didn't want to be friends anymore. What if he never wanted to see her again, it  
would break her heart, what should she do?   
  
She looked for Neal that day. In the courtyard, near their rooms, on the practise fields, at the stables, everywhere that she could think of in the palace.   
  
In the end worried and upset she went to find Neal's father, Duke Baird. She didn't know quite what to ask this man, as she had only talked to him once before, and  
that was when she got in her first big fight with Joren and his gang.   
  
"D...D...Duke Baird?" she asked timidly.  
  
"Yes, erm, Keladry isn't it?"  
  
"Yes sir, well um..."  
  
"I'm sorry Keladry, but I am very busy. Could you just spit it out?"  
  
"Well, I, erm, wondered if you, erm, if you knew where Neal was."  
  
"Sorry Keladry, he was acting very strangely when he came back yesterday, and I haven't seen him at all today. I believe he wanted the next ship out of Port Caynn,  
may I ask why."  
  
"I erm did, no erm told him erm well something happened that should not have, I have to put it right. Its very important to tell Neal before the end of the summer."  
  
"Well then quickly, take a horse and ride for Port Caynn immediately. If it is important. I'll tell your mother and father where you are."   
  
"Thank you, sir," Kel shouted as she ran from the room.  
  
She raced back to the palace and had a quick word with Stephan. He told her that she could be there in a day, and where were the best places to change her mount  
where to rest. Although she did not intend to rest, but she would not even tell Stephan that. Stephan also insisted that she took someone with her.  
  
When she explained her need for speed she had hoped he would relent, but he did not give up that easily.   
  
"Don't worry, I'll find ye a good rider." Within only one or two minuets he arrived back at the stables. "Kel this is one of the best of the "royal ladies" I got her  
specially for the job."  
  
"Kel?"  
  
"Uline?" They stared at each other for a moment then Kel came to her senses, "Look we had better go, we can talk on the way."  
  
The two women borrowed the fastest of all the spare mounts and rode as quickly as possible to Port Caynn. There was an inn a couple of hour's ride from Corus,  
where they swapped their tired horses for fresh ones. As they rode Kel told Uline about her "problem" with Neal.  
  
Uline was very sympathetic, but when she asked which page Neal was, and if she knew him Kel squirmed with embarrassment. How could she tell Uline that the  
"handsome young man, the one with green eyes," was the her best friend and the one she had just kissed.   
  
"Well um... Neal was my best friend and he was um..."  
  
"Oh no! You kissed your best friend?"  
  
"Yer, and," it was very hard to say, but Kel forced the words out, "he was the one with, with green eyes, the one you said looked to old to be a page."  
  
"Oh god, Kel I'm so sorry I didn't realise you liked him, like that."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
They rode on for a while in silence, Kel did not, could not know that at that time Uline was wishing that she was anywhere but with Kel. She felt so bad that she had  
tried to flirt, and asked Kel who he was because she fancied him.  
  
The two women were riding as hard as possible, for Port Caynn, but even Kel had to admit that they had to stop and sleep, but they did not stop until after midnight.  
Kel told Uline that she was very sorry but that they would still have to get up at sunrise.  
  
Just half an hour after sunrise found Uline and Kel riding hard for Port Caynn once more. Neither spoke, neither it seemed were good in the morning and a late night  
combined with an early start left them both grumpy and tired.   
  
When they reached the harbour at Port Caynn Kel left Uline with their horses and went to find the harbour master.  
  
"I am Squire Keladry of the Royal Palace and I wish to know when the next boat leaves for Queenscove."  
  
"The next boat, love?" The harbour master was a rough, no nonsense commoner.  
  
"Yes, when does it leave, please."  
  
"Why the next boat doesn't leave till," the harbour master checked a book, "tomorrow."  
  
"Oh thank you, thank you."  
  
"Yer, I'm afraid your to late to catch today's, come here," Kel walked over to him, "She that boat there, just pullin' out well tha's heading for your Queenscove."  
  
"No!" Screamed Kel running outside but the boat was to late to catch.  
  
So what do you think? Please all reviews are very welcome.  



	3. The rouges

Ok I no this can't happen because she is now a knight, but I have to finish this story.  
  
  
  
"No, Neal," she cried softly as she sat down on the harbour. "How could you go like that! I'm sorry Neal!" She told the retreating ship. Now what can I do? She wondered, I could wait and follow Neal tomorrow or ride there today. No it would take days to ride to Queenscove, and I can not ask Uline to come.  
  
Slowly she stood up and turned around, with tears in her eyes. She began to walk up the harbour, with her eyes down so that no one would witness her crying. She was so busy wondering what to do that she nearly walked into someone.  
  
"Sorry," she muttered bringing her face up to look at the person. "N…Neal," she gasped.  
  
"Hello Kel," he replied without looking at her, "you were saying…"  
  
"Oh Neal, I'm just so sorry. So, so sorry, please can we go back to being friends? I am really sorry, I just can't…" Her voice trailed away.  
  
"No. I'll see at the palace Kel." With that he rode away, hoping that Kel had not seen the tears in his eyes.  
  
"Neal…Neal…oh god…"  
  
"Kel are you alright? Wasn't that Neal? Can we stay for a while? Talk?" Kel had forgotten Uline.  
  
"Yer sure," she told Uline without realising what she had said, "I'll see you back at the palace."  
  
"Kel you're not going alone. And, well, even if you love him you cannot chase him, he probably needs room to think. Listen to me!"  
  
"Ok we'll ride back tomorrow, at dawn."  
  
Sure enough the very next morning found Kel and Uline riding back home, though not as fast as they come.  
  
"Neal were ever you are I love you." Kel whispered.  
  
"So you do love Queenscove," said a smooth voice behind her.  
  
Kel whirled around, "Joren! Don't you ever stop."  
  
"No, Squire! We have had enough of you." Suddenly there were rogues everywhere.  
  
"So this is how the beautiful Joren fights. He hides behind bad men. The world will know of this!" She shouted at the retreating figure.  
  
"No," he laughed, "the world will not know, because you will die here. Lady," he addressed Uline, "this isn't your fight leave or my friends will kill you too."  
  
"I think you will be the one to die here not us," Uline called as 10 rouges advanced slowly.  
  
"You just gave your life away, when you could have gone and exposed him!" pointed out Kel.  
  
"Do you really think he would let that happen? He would have just split us up. Good luck Kel."  
  
Kel and Uline set themselves back to back, as they both drew swords. 5 of the rouges attacked, Kel whipped her sword around killing one with a thrust, and kicking the other, and this gave her time to finish a third. Now another 10 appeared from no where, the remaining 15 attacked.  
  
"I'm sorry Uline," whispered Kel. Uline was soon down to a sword thrust and the hilt of a sword knocked her out. 


End file.
